Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Milk Allergy Update: It's Yellow, Folks!

Ladies, I want to thank all of you for your words of advice regarding a possible milk allergy/sensitivity in my 3 month-old daughter, Caroline. After reading your experiences and doing some research of my own, I decided to go dairy-free about 10 days ago. I'm happy to report that Caroline's diapers have gone from being green poop at every changing, to now being mostly wet, and sometimes yellow poop - no more green diapers! It took about 5 days for this to happen, but to me it is incredible that just by cutting dairy out of my diet, there could be such a dramatic change!

Here's the brief summary of what I've done: I'm not eating any straight dairy - milk, cheese, yogurt, cottage cheese, ice cream, etc. I'm also being careful with items that contain milk ingredients, such as pancake mixes and many snack foods. This is a pretty big change for me, and I've started taking probiotics because I have noticed that my stomach has been upset since cutting out dairy - has anyone else had a similar experience? I have supplemented my diet with Almond Milk, some yummy homemade granola bars, lots of hummus (instead of cheese), and some surprisingly tasty Tofutti mint chocolate chip ice cream sandwiches :) Oh, and I cannot forget to thank Karen, who told me that I could eat Ghirardelli semi-sweet chocolate chips - they have been a saving grace!

As for Caroline, she is still quite fussy at certain times throughout the day, but it is impossible to know whether this is related to some dairy that is left in my system or whether it's just normal baby fussiness. Time will tell, I suppose, but I am thrilled with the diaper results!

Thank you again for all of your thoughtful comments, and God bless you all on this Monday morning!

So glad the sacrifices seem to be working Kat. When I went dairy free (back when Gianna was a newborn), I ate water ice for a summer treat. It wasn't as good as ice cream, but it was still a fun treat.

Overall, you will probably be healthier now that you aren't eating all those snack foods and label reading! I often find that I can never go back.

I'm so glad that your daughter is doing better and that the Ghiradelli chocolate chips have helped the transition! I considered that I was going overboard with my list of dairy-free foods, but in the end decided to include them because it is rather hard to find dairy-free foods.

The next challenge will be eating out and going to summer get-togethers. Try to eat a snack beforehand so that you can choose from the non-dairy foods. And don't forget that Ranch dressing (in some pasta salads) has dairy too! It is sad when you inadvertently eat some dairy and your poor baby has to suffer the consequences. :(

I eat very little dairy. I stopped eating ice cream about a year ago because it makes me nauseous. I'll have some cheese with crackers with wine on Friday night, but that's about it. I don't snack between meals. I'm surprised that so many of you eat pancakes and stuff like that for breakfast. For me that's just way too much carbs for my system to handle. I don't eat bagels and very little whole wheat bread, if any. My system definately can't handle whole wheat.

So great that your little one is doing better and that you are finding good tasty things to eat. Would you be willing to share the yummy home-made granola bar recipe. No allergies with my baby yet, but I'm always looking for something that is both tasty and good for me. Thanks,Sarah

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